Departmental Mobile Phones

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in her Department are provided with mobile communication devices; and how much her Department spent on mobile telephones and related data services in the last year for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: The following tables show the number of mobile communication' devices issued at the end of fiscal year 2010-11 and how much the Department and its Executive Agencies spent on mobile telephones and related data Services in the same period.
	The expenditure figures are unaudited as year-end processes in all organisations are still incomplete.
	
		
			  Organisation  Total devices  2010 - 11 Spend (£) 
			 DEFRA(1) 1153 527,153.39 
			 VMD 61 13,835.24 
			 CEFAS 234 59,034.00 
			 FERA 586 105,230.93 
			 AH 987 462,373.02' 
			 VLA 170 31,000.00 
			 Total 3191 1,198,626.58 
			 (1) Device information is dependent on external supplier data and relates to active connections in March 2011. 
		
	
	
		
			  RPA  1 April 2009 - 31 March 2010  1 April 2010  - 31 December 2010 
			 Devices 999 988 
			 Spend (£) 164,257.33 117,219.14

Employment Agencies

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on  (a) recruitment agency fees,  (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and  (c) staff training in the last year for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: The departmental spend on recruitment agency fees, outplacement agency fees and staff training for the financial year 2010-11 is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Core DEFRA/agency  Recruitment agency fees (incl. media costs where reported)  Outplacement agency fees to support displaced/redundant staff  Staff training costs 
			 Rural Payments Agency (RPA) 0 20,800.00 276,275.49 
			 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Agriculture Science (CEFAS) 42,476.54 0 276,586.00 
			 Animal Health/Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AH/VLA) 10,980.00 0 (1)1,192,540.00 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) 0 0 68,220.00 
			 The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) 16,179.00 0 320,716.00 
			 Core DEFRA 107,942.71 0 1,209,469.00 
			 (1) 2009-10 costs. Staff training costs for AH/VLA will not be available until the end of April 2011

Government Departments: Business Plans

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to publish her Department's sustainability appraisals of departmental business plans.

James Paice: We are currently developing the approach for sustainable development proofing departmental business plans to feed into the refresh of business plans. This includes considering how best to provide updates on progress.

Livestock: Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money her Department allocated to each local authority for animal health and welfare work in each of the last three financial years.

James Paice: DEFRA funding allocated to each local authority for animal health and welfare work in each of the last three financial years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Allocation per financial year (£) 
			  Local authority  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Barnsley 24,474 28,274 23,266 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 60,015 60,015 60,015 
			 Bedford - 19,338 19,338 
			 Bedfordshire 48,345 - - 
			 Birmingham 27,815 28,515 27,315 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 6,052 5,465 4,074 
			 Blackpool 385 385 385 
			 Blaenau Gwent 16,841 16,841 16,841 
			 Bolton 12,208 12,208 12,208 
			 Bradford 39,080 41,080 38,080 
			 Bridgend 35,462 35,462 35,462 
			 Buckinghamshire 88,924 88,924 88,924 
			 Bury 2,901 2,901 2,901 
			 Caerphilly 22,521 20,414 20,414 
			 Calderdale 54,699 54,699 54,699 
			 Cambridgeshire 72,975 72,975 72,975 
			 Cardiff 5,103 7,103 7,103 
			 Carmarthenshire 192,297 178,296 192,296 
			 Central Bedfordshire - 29,007 29,007 
			 Ceredigion 195,113 179,113 195,113 
			 Cheshire (East) - 56,000 49,930 
			 Cheshire (West and Chester) - 48,500 48,500 
			 Cheshire 93,080 - - 
			 City of London (Chelmsford) 10,180 10,180 10,180 
			 City of London (Reigate) 12,673 12,673 12,673 
			 City of London (Reading) - - 1,685 
			 City of London (Wokingham and Reading) 10,852 10,852 - 
			 City of York 10,850 10,850 10,850 
			 Conwy 146,284 146,000 146,000 
			 Cornwall 140,389 160,389 140,389 
			 Coventry 4,000 5,000 6,000 
			 Cumbria 290,826 256,342 264,539 
			 Darlington 36,649 36,649 36,647 
			 Denbighshire 136,372 136,372 136,272 
			 Derby City 6,692 5,792 5,792 
			 Derbyshire 199,112 196,543 181,539 
			 Devon 501,678 505,733 500,733 
			 Doncaster 51,456 46,456 46,456 
			 Dorset 109,780 101,885 114,960 
			 Dudley 17,870 17,870 17,870 
			 Durham 81,567 87,567 82,567 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 209,483 214,483 209,483 
			 East Sussex 53,611 53,611 53,611 
			 Essex 150,996 130,996 150,996 
			 Flintshire 73,930 73,930 73,930 
			 Gateshead 2,018 2,018 2,018 
			 Gloucestershire 196,970 201,190 192,720 
			 Gwynedd 130,937 130,937 130,937 
			 Halton - - 1,033 
			 Hampshire 38,108 38,108 38,108 
			 Hartlepool 7,050 4,550 4,550 
			 Havering 2,000 14,000 14,000 
			 Herefordshire 119,768 119,768 114,768 
			 Hertfordshire 26,285 26,285 26,285 
			 Isle of Anglesey 96,018 96,018 82,018 
			 Isle of Wight 34,449 28,949 32,449 
			 Isles of Scilly - 22,000 22,000 
			 Kent 208,188 206,677 203,170 
			 Kirklees 31,357 33,657 29,640 
			 Lancashire 339,945 339,945 339,945 
			 Leeds 29,049 29,049 29,049 
			 Leicestershire 62,736 62,736 62,671 
			 Lincolnshire 173,691 173,691 173,691 
			 Med way 8,240 8,240 8,240 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 71,856 66,856 66,856 
			 Middles 936 936 936 
			 Milton Keynes 37,725 18,037 25,089 
			 Monmouthshire including Torfaen 128,705 135,943 155,228 
			 Newcastle 34,920 34,800 33,970 
			 Newport 70,412 38,937 37,873 
			 Norfolk 129,284 129,284 129,284 
			 North Lincolnshire 23,520 23,520 23,520 
			 North Somerset 30,158 30,158 30,158 
			 North Tyneside 12,431 12,431 12,431 
			 North Yorkshire 374,691 404,691 414,691 
			 Northamptonshire 84,872 79,644 79,644 
			 Northumberland 178,377 178,377 178,377 
			 Nottinghamshire 89,433 89,433 89,433 
			 Oldham 52,694 45,428 45,428 
			 Oxfordshire 113,198 112,929 111,629 
			 Pembrokeshire 133,560 133,560 133,560 
			 Peter 9,668 9,668 9,668 
			 Powys 259,260 262,260 253,260 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 4,046 4,046 3,727 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taf 50,659 50,659 50,659 
			 Rochdale 2,885 3,335 3,335 
			 Rotherham 33,188 33,188 33,188 
			 Rutland 10,839 10,839 10,839 
			 St Helens 2,788 - - 
			 Salford - 1,494 1,313 
			 Sandwell 6,357 6,357 6,357 
			 Sefton 4,994 4,994 4,994 
			 Sheffield 38,059 42,700 36,169 
			 Shropshire 127,332 131,782 127,320 
			 Slough - - 6,000 
			 Solihull 18,113 18,113 18,113 
			 Somerset 234,469 232,469 224,469 
			 South Gloucester 69,309 66,309 66,309 
			 South Tyneside 740 1,200 3,020 
			 Staffordshire 270,467 293,767 268,767 
			 Stockport - 3,658 5,593 
			 Stockton 13,727 13,727 13,727 
			 Stoke on Trent 8,570 8,570 8,570 
			 Suffolk 120,884 120,884 120,884 
			 Surrey 134,777 132,841 132,841 
			 Swindon 5,242 5,242 5,242 
			 Tameside 630 630 630 
			 Telford and Wrekin 30,618 30,618 30,618 
			 Trafford - 3,711 3,711 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 23,350 23,350 23,350 
			 Wakefield 32,452 37,764 32,452 
			 Walsall 4,401 4,401 4,401 
			 Warrington 9,491 9,491 9,491 
			 Warwickshire 127,828 132,000 131,000 
			 West Berkshire and Wokingham - - 27,061 
			 West Berkshire 27,061 27,061 - 
			 West Glamorgan 65,356 65,356 64,416 
			 West Sussex 46,743 44,743 44,743 
			 Wigan 8,000 6,087 6,087 
			 Wiltshire 60,912 60,912 60,912 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 38,117 34,542 34,542 
			 Wirral 473 2,008 2,008 
			 Wokingham - - 9,167 
			 Wolverhampton 3,934 3,934 3,873 
			 Worcestershire 215,909 202,709 180,630 
			 Wrexham 57,208 57,208 57,208 
			  Source: Core DEFRA

Meat: Ritual Slaughter

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of domesticated animals and birds slaughtered without prior stunning in 2010.

James Paice: The most recent data on the slaughter of animals without prior stunning was published in March 2004 by the Meat Hygiene Service in its Animal Welfare Review. The data was collected through a survey of meat plants between 1 and 7 September 2003. The following table shows the number of animals killed over that period without prior stunning for the production of kosher and halal meat:
	
		
			  Species  Not stunned 
			 Cattle 365 
			 Calves 8 
			 Young lambs 6,845 
			 Other sheep 11,454 
			 Goats 62 
			 Broilers 167,745 
			 Hens 15,900 
			 Turkeys 749 
			 Ducks 610 
		
	
	More recent data collected by the EU Dialrel project see:
	http://www.dialrel.eu/images/factsheet-assesment-practices.pdf
	shows that, of the UK abattoirs surveyed, 100% of the animals and birds slaughtered for the production of kosher meat were slaughtered without prior stunning. For halal meat, 25% of cattle and 7% of sheep were slaughtered without prior stunning. The Dialrel data also indicates that no poultry were slaughtered for halal production without stunning.

Pesticides

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) budget and  (b) number of full-time equivalent staff of her Department and its public bodies responsible for monitoring the levels of pesticides in the foodchain (i) was in each of the last 10 years and (ii) will be in each of the next five years.

James Paice: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The national programme of pesticide residue testing in food in the UK is administered by the Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD) of the Health and Safety Executive. Expenditure on this work is published each year in the annual report of the Pesticide Residues Committee, which advises Ministers on the design and implementation of the programme. This information is summarised as follows. Costs include sample collection, analysis, collation and reporting of results. A further £30,000 is spent each year on the administration of the Pesticide Residues Committee.
	
		
			  Programme year  Cost (£ million)( 1) 
			 2000 1.7 
			 2001 2.0 
			 2002 2.0 
			 2003 2.2 
			 2004 2.2 
			 2005 2.2 
			 2006 2.1 
			 2007 2.1 
			 2008 2.1 
			 2009 2.1 
			 2010 1.9 
			 (1) These expenditure figures include a proportion of analytical costs which are met by the devolved Administrations. 
		
	
	 (b) Staffing in the team managing this work has been between 3.5 and 4 full-time equivalent staff throughout the period.
	The budget for 2011 for this work will be similar to the 2010 level. Beyond 2012 the budgetary position is not finalised but expenditure will be in line with spending review commitments.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether further savings in his Department's budget in addition to those identified in the Strategic Defence and Security Review will need to be identified up to 2015-16.

Liam Fox: The Ministry of Defence has always been clear that the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) was the start of a process and that there were still difficult decisions that would need to be taken as it was implemented as a result of the situation inherited from the previous Labour Government. We will also need to ensure that for usual budgetary purposes-due to changes such as fuel prices, foreign exchange, inflation, changes in valuations in our estate, and armed forces pay awards-that we match our resources to our highest priorities. This we do on an annual basis utilising the Department's Planning Round process. I will make a statement to the House on the progress of implementing the SDSR and the Department's finances shortly.

Warships

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans to review his decision to place one landing platform dock in reserve in light of recent events in North Africa and the Middle East.

Nick Harvey: We have no plans to do so. As set out in the White Paper: "Securing Britain in an Age of Uncertainty: The Strategic Defence and Security Review", Cm 7948, we plan in future to be able to land and sustain a command group of up to 1,800 personnel from the sea using specialist shipping. To meet this requirement, we need to maintain at high readiness just one of our two landing platforms docks. The second ship will be held at extended readiness.

Brighton and Hove City Council: Grants

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many ring-fenced grants provided by his Department were available for Brighton and Hove city council to claim in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09,  (c) 2009-10 and  (d) 2010-11; how much was available in such grants; how many such grants were made; and how much was awarded in such grants.

Norman Baker: Between 2007-08 and 2010-11, the Department for Transport had a number of grant streams available to local government. Some of these were allocated by formula and were not ring-fenced. Others were granted on the basis of bids from local government. Details of the grants which Brighton and Hove city council could bid for are outlined as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: 2007-08 Local transport bid-based  f unding (£ million) 
			  Grant  Brighton and Hove allocation  Total funding 
			 Bikeability 0.0 1.2 
			 Bus Challenge and Kickstart 0.0 12.0 
			 Cycle Towns 0.6 3.2 
			 Exceptional Maintenance 0.0 8.0 
			 Major Schemes(1) 0.0 257.0 
			 Road Safety Partnership(2) 0.8 5.6 
			 Total 1.4 287.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: 2008-09 Local transport bid-based funding (£ million) 
			  Grant  Brighton and Hove allocation  Total funding 
			 Bikeability 0.1 3.1 
			 Bus Challenge and Kickstart 0.0 5.7 
			 Cycle Towns 0.4 9.6 
			 Exceptional Maintenance 0.0 13.0 
			 Major Schemes(1) 0.0 409.0 
			 Road Safety Partnership(2) 0.0 2.2 
			 TIF Pump Priming 0.0 16.1 
			 Total 0.5 458.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: 2009-10 Local transport bid-based funding (£ million) 
			  Grant  Brighton and Hove allocation  Total funding 
			 Bikeability(3) 0.1 5.0 
			 Bus Challenge and Kickstart 0.0 5.9 
			 Cycle Towns 0.9 26.8 
			 Exceptional Maintenance 0.0 5.0 
			 Green Bus Fund 0.0 5.3 
			 Major Schemes(1) 0.0 601.0 
			 Road Safety Partnership(2) 0.0 4.1 
			 TIF Pump Priming 0.0 2.7 
			 Total 1.0 655.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: 2010-11 Local transport bid-based funding (£ million) 
			  Grant  Brighton and Hove  a llocation  Total funding 
			 Bikeability(3) 0.1 6.1 
			 Cycle Towns 0.5 19.2 
			 Exceptional Maintenance 0.0 5.0 
			 Green Bus Fund 0.0 14.4 
			 Major Schemes(1) 0.0 531.0 
			 Road Safety Partnership(2) 0.0 0.9 
			 Winter Emergency Repairs 0.4 200.0 
			 Total 1.0 776.6 
			 (1) In the years in question eligibility to claim major scheme funding was restricted to schemes that (a) had been prioritised in their region's regional funding allocation and (b) had achieved Full Approval status as defined by the major schemes guidance in operation at the time. The only scheme in Brighton and Hove that was prioritised in the South East Regional funding allocation was the Brighton Rapid Transit scheme, however this never reached full approval status and therefore no funds were provided. (2) Many Road Safety Partnership projects lasted for two financial years-the figures are for the first year for which projects were approved. The figures are for the maximum approved QfT funding contribution. Some actual claims were less. Totals include some projects led by non-Government Organisations, rather than local authorities. (3) The Bikeabilily funding provided to Brighton and Hove in 2009-10 and 2010-11 was for local authority and School Sports Partnership delivery.

Large Goods Vehicles: Licensing

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to harmonisation of the requirements for the Driver's Certificate of Professional Competence with those for a Large Goods Vehicle licence; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) was introduced in UK in September 2008 for bus and coach drivers and September 2009 for lorry drivers. Following public consultation in 2005, a modular qualification approach enabling new drivers to obtain their driving licence and DCPC as part of the same process was adopted to allow maximum flexibility for those caught by the new requirements. This effectively harmonised the requirements of licence acquisition driver testing with the requirements for DCPC.

Roads: Hertfordshire

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many 
	(1)  casualties were recorded in road traffic accidents in  (a) St Albans constituency and  (b) Hertfordshire in each of the last three years for which figures are available;
	(2)  pedestrians were  (a) injured and  (b) killed in St Albans constituency in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Michael Penning: The information requested is given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Reported casualties from personal injury road accidents in (a) St Albans constituency and (b) Hertfordshire: 2007 to 2009 
			   (a) St Albans  (b) Hertfordshire 
			 2007 512 5,128 
			 2008 499 4,384 
			 2009 428 3,956 
			  Note:  Based on the 2010 parliamentary constituency boundaries. 
		
	
	
		
			  Reported pedestrian casualties from personal injury road accidents in St Albans constituency( 1)  who were (a) injured (b) killed: 2007 to 2009 
			  (a) Injured (b) Killed 
			 2007 38 1 
			 2008 44 1 
			 2009 36 1 
			 (1 )Based on the 2010 parliamentary constituency boundaries. 
		
	
	The data for year 2010 will be published at the end of June 2011.

Transport: Carbon Emissions

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to mitigate carbon usage in transport.

Norman Baker: The Government are committed to ensuring that the transport sector plays a full part in delivering the emissions reductions needed to meet our 2020 and 2050 climate change targets. On 8 March we published a draft "Carbon Plan", which summarises ongoing and planned action to reduce carbon emissions from all sectors, including transport. The "Carbon Plan" can be found via the website of the Department for Energy and Climate Change at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/lc_uk/carbon_plan/carbon_plan.aspx

Travel: Concessions

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to provide more affordable access to public transport for 17 to 25-year-olds affected by rising motor insurance premiums.

Norman Baker: For rail travel, young people are already eligible for a 16-25 Railcard if aged between 16 and 25, or if aged 26 and over and in full-time education. This is a requirement of each operator's franchise agreement.
	In London, all 16 to 17-year-olds can pay child rate for Travelcards longer than seven days and pay half the adult rate when using 'pay as you go' on buses, trams, Tube, DLR and London overground services. Students aged 18 or over receive a 30% discount on Travelcards longer than seven days and up to an annual Travelcard.
	Outside London, the majority of bus fares are set by commercial operators in a deregulated market. Many operators offer reduced fares and discounted tickets to encourage young people to use local bus services, often in partnership with local councils. Any decision on the provision of local discretionary concessions for young people in a particular area, or for the price of tickets on services they financially support, is for an individual local transport authority. Local transport authorities outside London also have powers to make ticketing schemes or set maximum fares through statutory bus Quality Partnership Schemes.
	On 28 March the Secretary of State for Education announced a new £180 million 16-19 Bursary Fund that, from September 2011, will enable schools and colleges to target support to those young people facing the greatest financial barriers to participation. The new scheme will have the flexibility to allow for transport costs where schools and colleges identify this as a barrier to individual students' participation.
	I recognise that the rising cost of motor insurance is a problem to young people. We are working with the motor insurance industry to identify ways in which we can develop insurance products which offer incentives to those young drivers who may be willing accept restrictions or take additional training.

Babies: Bottles

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the proposed EU prohibition on the use of bisphenol A in babies' feeding bottles; and for what reason the UK abstained in the vote in the Council of Ministers on the adoption of Directive 2011/8/EU.

Anne Milton: Commission directive 2011/8/EU was implemented in the United Kingdom by the Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (SI 2011/231) and separate, equivalent, Regulations relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
	The UK abstained in the vote in EU Standing Committee on 25 November 2010 as the European Commission circulated its formal proposal to member states late on 23 November 2010 and there was insufficient time for parliamentary scrutiny of the proposal before the vote.

Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) children and  (b) adults with type 1 diabetes were presented as emergency hospital admissions with diabetic ketoacidosis in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: The table shows the number of emergency finished admission episodes where the primary diagnosis was type 1 diabetes with ketoacidosis by selected age groups in England 2005-06 to 2009-10. Individuals may have been admitted on more than one occasion each year.
	
		
			   2009-10  2008-09  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06 
			 17 and under 3,174 3,229 3,202 3,167 2,960 
			 18 and over 8,092 7,913 7,677 7,023 6,465 
			 Unknown age 16 9 6 6 8 
			 Total 11,282 11,151 10,885 10,196 9,433

Drugs: Side Effects

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of adverse reactions from medicines administered in NHS facilities in each of the last four years.

Simon Burns: Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines (CHM) through the spontaneous reporting scheme; the Yellow Card Scheme. The scheme collects ADR reports from across the whole United Kingdom and includes all medicines, including those from prescriptions, over-the-counter or general retail sales. Reports are also received for herbal medicines and other unlicensed medicines.
	The following table provides a breakdown of the total number of UK spontaneous 'suspected' ADR reports received by the MHRA during the last four years.
	
		
			   Number of reports 
			 2007 21,716 
			 2008 25,636 
			 2009 22,439 
			 2010 23,247 
		
	
	These data represent all UK spontaneous 'suspected' ADR reports received through the Yellow Card Scheme and reports from the pharmaceutical industry. These reports do not usually state where the medicine was administered.
	It is important to note that the reporting of a suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily mean it is related to the drug. The reports are 'suspicions' of adverse drug reactions and have not been proven. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication and the underlying disease being treated.

HIV Infection: Tuberculosis

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with HIV-related tuberculosis in  (a) England,  (b) the Brighton and Hove primary care trust area and  (c) East Sussex Downs and Weald primary care trust area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: The latest information available is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Three year average number and proportion of tuberculosis patients aged 15 and over co-infected with HIV, 2006 to 2008 
			   2006-08 average 
			   Number  Proportion (percentage) 
			 England 560 7.5 
			 Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust 6 17.6 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald Primary Care Trust <5 Approx 10 
			  Notes: 1. Matching is carried out retrospectively because of delay in reporting of cases and data are, therefore, available up to 2008 at present.  2. As there are only small numbers of cases in each of the primary care trusts (PCTs), three-year average numbers have been provided.  3. This figure does not include cases of co-infection in children because HIV in children is reported separately.  4. Numbers less than five are not shown because of possibility of deductive disclosure. Because of small number of cases by PCT we only provide three-year average numbers.  Source:  Health Protection Agency.

HIV Infection: Tuberculosis

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of collaborative tuberculosis and HIV services to reducing rates of co-infection;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that relevant commissioning expertise will be available for the provision of integrated tuberculosis and HIV services by GP consortia under his proposed new structures for the NHS.

Anne Milton: On 21 December 2010, we published "Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health", a copy of which has already been placed in the Library.
	The aim of this consultation, which closed on 31 March 2011, was to ensure the Department gets details of the new public health system right in order to deliver significant improvements to the health of the population.
	The document proposed that the NHS Commissioning Board will commission HIV treatment and that the national health service will continue to fund and commission infectious disease treatment including tuberculosis (TB) treatment. The NHS Commissioning Board will have a leadership role in providing commissioning guidance for general practitioner consortia based on quality standards and by designing tariffs and model NHS contracts.
	We need to read and analyse the consultation responses carefully, and consider whether changes need to be made to our proposals. We will work to clarify the detail of how this would be implemented in practice, including how to ensure the relevant expertise informs the commissioning of integrated HIV and TB services. It is important that all concerned work together to ensure that tuberculosis and HIV services are commissioned and delivered in a way that meets local need and reduces rates of co-infection.
	A response to the consultation will be published in the summer.